A strange natural phenomenon has led to Venice becoming known as “The Shark’s Tooth Capital of the World.” These smooth T-shaped prehistoric teeth are usually dark grey in color and may be anything from one inch to five inches in length. They are so numerous in this area you can cheat and buy them at local souvenir stores for a couple of dollars, but it’s much more rewarding to have the thrill of finding your very own shark’s tooth.
Photo credit Nita Ettinger
Why is Venice so Special for Finding Sharks’ Teeth?
These warm Gulf waters were once filled with numerous giant sharks such as the extinct Carcharodon Megalodons. Area waters are still home to a few species of smaller sharks, but it’s very unlikely to see one within sight of land.
Millions of years ago, the sharks lived, bred and then died in these exceptionally calm waters and their carcasses lay on the seabed. Although most of the shark’s remains would rot, disintegrate or become fish food, the hardened T-shaped teeth became fossilized over time.
The tides carry, bury and later uncover these hard objects, especially during winter storms. Eventually the teeth are thrown up on the beach around Venice, due to the converging currents that deposit sediment along the shallow drops-offs along the coastline.
Best Beaches in Venice for Finding Sharks’ Teeth
With 14 miles of sandy beaches in Venice, there are a lot of opportunities for finding sharks teeth washed up along the edge of the water. Here’s a rundown to some of the best beaches in Venice where you stand a good chance of going home with your own prehistoric collection of sharks’ teeth – if you know how and where to search for them.
Photo credit Nita Ettinger
Venice Beach is one of the busiest beaches in the area and for that reason is possibly not the best beach for competing with other sharks’ teeth fossil hunters. However, after a storm you may be lucky and find a tooth thrown up from the depths after 15 million years or so.
Photo credit Debi Pittman Wilkey
The quieter Service Club Park Beach further south may be a better place to start your search. It is located behind the municipal airport and has free parking, rest rooms, showers and a boardwalk to the beach.
The best beach for finding sharks’ teeth is Caspersen Beach, at the extreme south end of Venice’s beaches. This beach is also good for scuba diving, which greatly enhances your chances of finding a larger Megalodin tooth which can be more rare and valuable.
Photo credit Nita Ettinger
Photo credit Nita Ettinger
How to Search for Sharks’ Teeth
You will always find ardent searchers sifting the water on Caspersen Beach with their sand scoops and nets, looking for the next treasure. You may want to use a sand sieve to sift through the tiny broken seashells that hide those elusive sharks’ teeth.
Photo credit Nita Ettinger
Use a small spade to shovel sand into your net or sieve. Let the water rinse away all but the larger particles, then examine them for dark tooth-shaped forms. Sooner or later you will be rewarded with your very own prehistoric shark’s tooth to take home and show off to family and friends.
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